VanessaP
Well-Known Member
My best friend has asked me if I could do a layered soap to recreate a flag. It would be two sets of 2 different colored stripes, a white stripe then another 2 sets of the 2 different colored stripes. Plus an embedded shape in one corner of the top set of colored stripes. I'm confident that I could easily do the embed, I just need the silicone embed mold for the shape she wants. I would be using my 3lb wood log mold from SMR.
She and her friends are excited because they think it will sell like hotcakes in their community when I do start selling next year. But first I need to nail the scent. Even if I'm not making any money off these sample batches, its good experience/practice with layering, right? Plus, they love homemade soap and I think that's great so I'm happy to spread around the suds. It also gets it out of my house (other than my sample bar to watch for DOS, etc) My friend is willing to help me buy supplies for making this specific soap so I'm not footing the entire bill for testing these batches.
The FO will be Leather from BC but I don't know if it accelerates trace - on the soap scent review board, one person has it but didn't soap it because she didn't like the OOB smell. I made some HP last night but I don't think I had enough of the FO or I just couldn't get the temp of the soap low enough to add it without the soap hardening on me and the scent evaping. Other suppliers that have Leather listed, some accelerated and some didn't. Would it be best to mix the FO into the oils before adding the lye solution so I can pour ASAP if trace starts to speed up on me?
I have plenty of coconut oil and lard available, I also have a few pounds of PKO flakes. I have some avocado oil (from WSP), castor oil, olive oil, soybean oil (from WSP). I do have PO on my reorder list so I will probably have it back in the house by the time I get around to attempting the layering. I can also pick up the various shortenings at Walmart if any of those would be appropriate. Sodium lactate is ordered. What would be a good starting recipe that I could play with that would be a pretty stable light trace that I could pour fluidly without it being high in OO?
Would my best bet be to make a batch for each layer (I have the TKB scale that measures .01g up to 300g), pour it at lightish trace so it will settle out as an smooth, even layer, then let it set up a bit while I mix up the next layer? Would the layers eventually separate during use if they don't gel? I don't see such thin layers poured at intervals reaching gel though could I FORCE gel in the oven when done with the final top layer? Or will the ungelled layers stick together well enough?
Push comes to shove, I CAN break down and buy opaque M&P and just color, scent, pour and let set up enough so a new layer won't break through, and rinse & repeat, but I'd like to see if I can create this via CP too so I can tailor the soap more. Would the M&P layers separate from each other? I could use a heat gun to soften/melt just the barest top of the layer to achieve cohesion for the next layer, right?
I know, I'm probably making this way more complicated than it should be I'm tired and with this disc in my back hurting more than my c-section did, I'm having a hard time concentrating and I'm probably confusing everyone else too
She and her friends are excited because they think it will sell like hotcakes in their community when I do start selling next year. But first I need to nail the scent. Even if I'm not making any money off these sample batches, its good experience/practice with layering, right? Plus, they love homemade soap and I think that's great so I'm happy to spread around the suds. It also gets it out of my house (other than my sample bar to watch for DOS, etc) My friend is willing to help me buy supplies for making this specific soap so I'm not footing the entire bill for testing these batches.
The FO will be Leather from BC but I don't know if it accelerates trace - on the soap scent review board, one person has it but didn't soap it because she didn't like the OOB smell. I made some HP last night but I don't think I had enough of the FO or I just couldn't get the temp of the soap low enough to add it without the soap hardening on me and the scent evaping. Other suppliers that have Leather listed, some accelerated and some didn't. Would it be best to mix the FO into the oils before adding the lye solution so I can pour ASAP if trace starts to speed up on me?
I have plenty of coconut oil and lard available, I also have a few pounds of PKO flakes. I have some avocado oil (from WSP), castor oil, olive oil, soybean oil (from WSP). I do have PO on my reorder list so I will probably have it back in the house by the time I get around to attempting the layering. I can also pick up the various shortenings at Walmart if any of those would be appropriate. Sodium lactate is ordered. What would be a good starting recipe that I could play with that would be a pretty stable light trace that I could pour fluidly without it being high in OO?
Would my best bet be to make a batch for each layer (I have the TKB scale that measures .01g up to 300g), pour it at lightish trace so it will settle out as an smooth, even layer, then let it set up a bit while I mix up the next layer? Would the layers eventually separate during use if they don't gel? I don't see such thin layers poured at intervals reaching gel though could I FORCE gel in the oven when done with the final top layer? Or will the ungelled layers stick together well enough?
Push comes to shove, I CAN break down and buy opaque M&P and just color, scent, pour and let set up enough so a new layer won't break through, and rinse & repeat, but I'd like to see if I can create this via CP too so I can tailor the soap more. Would the M&P layers separate from each other? I could use a heat gun to soften/melt just the barest top of the layer to achieve cohesion for the next layer, right?
I know, I'm probably making this way more complicated than it should be I'm tired and with this disc in my back hurting more than my c-section did, I'm having a hard time concentrating and I'm probably confusing everyone else too